“We would like to expand Japanese rice exports not only to the UK but also to the world, by enabling Japanese rice to be tasted in the UK,” he told the Telegraph.

Farmers in Fukushima - a region once famed for its agricultural fare, from peaches to rice - were hit hard by the March 2011 nuclear disaster, with a string of food contamination scares resulting in import bans around the world.

The new UK import project came about as a result of the efforts of Yoshio Mitsuyama, a London representative of the Fukushima Prefectural Association, who reportedly consulted Zen-Noh a few years ago in relation to selling local food products in Europe.

The access road at the compound of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant is flooded in 2011 as a tsunami hit the facility following a massive earthquake Credit:
AP

He initially tested the waters in the UK by successfully selling small quantities of Fukushima products, such as peaches, rice and apple juice, at the annual Japan Matsuri festival held in Trafalgar Square.

The first commercial import of Fukushima rice to Europe next month will mark a significant step forward for farmers in the region in terms of their recovery, according to Mr Mitsuyama.

“Fukushima farmers have been devastated since March 11, 2011, as their products could not be sold anywhere due to bad rumours and their lives were almost destroyed,” he said.

“It is a breakthrough that Fukushima rice and other products have been proven to be safe by EU and will start being sold in London next month.”